Collapsible boundary frame for games



Dec. 28, 1965 G. J. NEHL COLLAPSIBLE BOUNDARY FRAME FOH GAMES Filed April 22, 1963 George J. Neh/ IN VENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,226,118 COLLAPSIBLE BOUNDARY FRAME FOR GAMES George J. Nehl, Lindstrom, Minn, assignor of one-fourth t0 Earl Bergquist and one-fourth to Charles L. Goble and Elizabeth A. Goble, joint tenants Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,618 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-1) The present invention generally relates to an improved apparatus to facilitate the playing of various games and.

more particularly, the present invention relates to a novel boundary frame for use in playing various games, the boundary frame being collapsible or capable of being knocked down into a compact condition for ease of storage, transport or the like.

Playing areas for various games are desirably marked off by boundary lines formed on the playing surface in any suitable manner. While the boundary lines may be painted on the playing surface, it often is desirable not to mar the surface with such boundary lines and also it is desirable to provide a boundary line which may be transported to another area of use when desired and also stored when not in use. Accordingly, the present invention has for its primary object the provision of a boundary frame of any suitable size constructed of rigid material for enclosing a playing area with the components of the frame being capable of collapse or separation into a compact condition for ease of storage in a compact manner and for ease of transportation to another location.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a boundary frame in accordance with the preceding object having parallel side members and parallel end members and a central dividing member parallel to the end members for dividing the boundary into two separate courts or for providing two separate areas for playing various games.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a boundary frame for various games which is simple in construction, easy to assemble and disassemble, easy to move from place-to-place and store when desired and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with'other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the boundary frame of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded group perspective view illustrating the central transverse member and the manner in which it is attached to the side rails;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded group perspective view illustrating the corner structure of the boundary frame;

FIGURE 4 is a detail sectional view of the center joint illustrated in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a modified corner joint;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded group perspective view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a bar-type of structure;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the joint illustrated in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 illustrates the corner joint employed in the bar-type boundary frame; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the corner joint of FIGURE 8 illustrating the components in collapsed or folded condition.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the boundary frame of the present invention which includes side rails 12 and 14 which are spaced in parallel relation to each other and are inter- Patented Dec. 28, 1965 connected by end rails 16 and 18 at the outer ends thereof and an intermediate transverse member 20 parallel to the end walls 16 and 18 and equally spaced therefrom. As illustrated, the rails are of rigid construction and may be constructed of plastic, metal or of wood and are of tubular configuration with the diameter being any suitable desired dimension.

Each corner of the boundary frame 10 includes a joining sleeve generally designated by numeral 22 and including perpendicularly arranged tubular portions 24 and 26 which are rigidly interconnected along a miter line 28 forming a juncture between the tubular portions 24 and 26 thereby forming a rigid L-shaped or right angular joint for receiving the ends of the side rails and end members respectively. FIGURE 3 illustrates the manner in which one end of a side rail 12 telescopes into the tubular portion 24 while one end of the end rail 16 telescopes into the tubular portion 26 and forms a loose connection therewith while the tubular side rail 12 is rigidly affixed to the tubular portion 24 by any suitable means such as by crimping, welding or gluing. Thus, in order to detach the side rail 12 from the end rail 16, the end rail 16 is telescoped outwardly from the tubular portion 26 and the joint 22 is permanently attached to the ends of the side rails 12 and 14 respectively thereby eliminating any possible loss of the connectors 22.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of connector generally designated by the numeral 36 which is in the form of a single tubular member having portions 32 and 34 orientated in right angular relation to each other and joined by a right angle bend 36 for telescopically receiving the ends of the side rail 12 and end rail 16 respectively whereby the side rail 12 is permanently secured to the portion 32 and the end rail 16 is loosely received telescopically within the portion 34. This structure operates in the same manner as the connector 22 and would work equally as well if the connector is constructed of a bendable material which may be for-med in right angular configuration.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the detail of the central connecting assembly generally designated by numeral 38 which includes a tubular sleeve 40 telescopingly receiving the adjacent ends of the sectional side rail 12. The end of the intermediate member 20 is provided with a screwthreaded fastening bolt 42 rigid therewith and extending axially therefrom for extending through an opening 44 formed in the sleeve 40 and for receiving a wing nut 46 on the outer end thereof for retaining the sleeve 40 attached to the bolt 42. One end of the section of the side rail 12 is provided with an aperture 48 extending therethrough whereby the aperture 48 may be aligned with the aperture 44 when the section of the side rail 12 is telescoped into the sleeve 40. Thus, the bolt 42 may be inserted through both the aperture 44 and the aperture 48 and the wing nut 46 then assembled thereon for permanently connecting the sleeve 40 to the section of the side rail 12 having the aperture 48 therein. The other section of the side rail 12 is telescopically received within the other end portion of the sleeve 40 and is fixedly secured thereto by crimping, welding, gluing or the like. FIG- URE 4 illustrates this assembly with the head 50' of the bolt being illustrated within the confines of the tubular transverse rail 20 and being secured thereto by any suitable means such as by welding or the like. The orientation of the sections of the tubular side rails 12, the sleeve 40 and the transverse tubular member 20 when in assembled condition is illustrated clearly in FIGURE 4.

FIGURES 610 illustrate another form of boundary frame in which the side rails 50 and the end rails 52 as well as an intermediate transverse rail 54 are all constructed of fiat bar or strap material of rectangular crosssectional configuration and which may be metal, plastic or Wood. FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate the center joint between adjacent sections of the side rails 50 and the manner of connection with the center transverse member 54. The adjacent ends of the sections of the side rails 50 each have a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures 56 therein. Forming the connection between the adjacent sections of the side rails 50 is a T-shaped connector generally designated by numeral 58 and including an elongated head or bar 60 adapted to underlie the adjacent sections of the side rail 50. Adjacent each end of the bar 60 is an upstanding pin 62 for extending through the outermost of the apertures 56. Also, a pair of apertures 64 are provided for alignment with the adjacent of the apertures 56 as illustrated in FIGURE 7 for receiving fastening bolts 66 having wing nuts 68 thereon thereby securely fastening the adjacent sections of the side rail 50 to the bar or head of the T-shaped connector 58.

The stem or shank of the T-shaped connector 58 is designated by the numeral 70 and overlaps transverse rail 54 and is secured thereto as by welding, riveting, gluing or the like. Alternatively, the transverse rail 54 could be welded directly to the center of the bar 60 thereby forming a rigid one piece structure with side rails 50 attached thereto.

FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate a corner connection generally designed by numeral 74 in which the side rail 50 and the adjacent end of the end rail 52 are overlapped and interconnected by a pivot securing pin 76 which may be in the form of a rivet, bolt or any other suitable securing means.

While the boundary frame may be constructed of any suitable size and any suitable material, a size of 6' x 8' has been found practical. The wing nuts in each instance serve to hold the structures together and solid with the wing nuts being capable of being removed for enabling the frame to be collapsed to a relatively compact condition during storage or transportation. As illustrated, the frame may be constructed of tubular material or of bar stock material thereby forming a relatively inexpensive collapsible or folding frame for a playing area. Various materials may be employed to form the frame and the frame may be used on almost any surface such as cement, wood, tile, ground surface, rug, grass or beach and is primarily useful for playing games employing'balls which may be thrown or projected in any suitable manner by players. The boundary of the frame will make a noise if the ball strikes it or a'visible deflection of the ball will occur when the ball strikes the frame.

As a representative game, each player may have a predetermined number of serves before giving the serve to an opponent. Serve is to the opposite side of the center bar with the ball being bounced once and returned to the opposite side. If the ball hits the frame or goes out of the playing area, a point is scored against the last player to hit the ball. The rules of play may be varied and are arbitrary and the length of a particular game may also be arbitrarily selected by the players. The aforementioned rules do not restrict the structure of the frame whatsoever and are merely representative of a type of game which may be played.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A boundary frame for playing games and the like comprising a generally rectangular peripheral frame enclosing a playing area, said frame including parallel spaced side rails and parallel spaced end rails interconnecting the ends of the side rails, and a transverse center member extending between the side rails and disposed in parallel equally spaced relation to the end rails, means detachably interconnecting the ends of the side rails and the ends of the end rails, and means detachably interconnecting the ends of the center rail and the center portion of the side rails thereby forming a collapsible frame which may be disconnected and collapsed for purposes of storage, trans port or the like, said connecting means between the ends of the side rails and the ends of the end rail including an L-shaped tubular sleeve having perpendicularly arranged terminal portions for telescopingly receiving one end of the side rail and an adjacent end of the end rail for retaining the side rails and the end rails in perpendicular relation, said L-shaped sleeve being permanently connected to said side rail and the other of said rails being loosely telescoped therein, said side rail being sectional, a tubular sleeve at the center of the side rail for joining adjacent ends thereof together, one section of the side rail and the sleeve having alignable apertures therein for receiving a bolt projecting axially from the center rail thereby interconnecting the center rail, sleeve and apertured section of the side rail for retaining them in assembled condition, the other section of the side rail being telescopically fixedly received within the other end portion of the sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 814,367 3/1906 Given -1 46-29 1,205,101 11/1916 Meyer 46-29 1,595,648 8/1926 Corley. 2,017,536 10/1935 Hase 273-1 2,557,766 6/1951 Ronfeldt 287-54 2,891,793 6/1959 Mudry 273 1 3,107,095 10/1963 Cairns 273- 3,118,694 1/1964 Bernard 287-54 3,136,545 6/1964 Stokes 273 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,642 10/1915 Denmark.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

